Reviews by PvtCaboose91

In 2003, Stephen Glass - a disgraced former hotshot journalist - published his first novel, entitled The Fabulist. In this novel, Stephen detailed his experiences writing for The New Republic...or, more accurately, fabricating stories for the respected magazine. Shattered Glass is an excellent, predominantly faithful retelling of Stephen's days working at The New Republic before the falsity of his stories was finally uncovered. Written and directed by Billy Ray, Shattered Glass is an incisive, intensely engaging drama as well as a brilliant exposé of the pressures and politics of journalism. Carefully combining the facts with a pinch of artistic license, Billy Ray's extraordinary motion picture caters for both those familiar with the story as well as the newcomers. Frankly, though, if you're in the dark about the Stephen Glass fiasco, you're in for a terrific story made all the more compelling by writer-director Ray's understated approach to the material.

After starting out as a promising journalist for The New Republic (the "in-flight magazine of Air Force One") and rising to meteoric heights in his early 20s, Stephen Glass (Christensen) is on his way to the top of the journalistic profession. Seeking a short-cut to fame, Stephen began using fiction in his work; concocting sources, quotes and even entire stories. Consequently, his articles are cutting-edge; drawing on a seemingly endless supply of insider contacts and informants. His deception, however, did not slip under the radar forever...

Stephen Glass' world begins to unravel when the popular editor of The New Republic, Michael Kelly (Azaria), is sacked due to complications with his superiors (mainly due to his tendency to defend his staff). Replacing him is the unpopular Chuck Jones (Sarsgaard) who isn't prepared to show these writers the same respect.
A lowly internet journalist (Zahn) is suspicious of Stephen's latest article about a pubescent hacker from the suburbs hired by a major software company, and begins to do some digging. As accusations begin to pour in that this story is phoney, Chuck (unwilling to overlook these claims) makes it his duty to thoroughly investigate the situation. This sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately exposes the years of deceptiveness perpetrated by one of the publication's star writers. All told, 27 of Stephen Glass' 41 articles were found to be either wholly or partially fictional. This shocking revelation shook a successful journalistic establishment to its core, and forced considerable revisions of codes of ethics and proof reading procedures. That for so long he managed to avoid being found out is astonishing considering the outlandish nature of his stories.

Knowing is Alex Proyas' take on the typical end-of-the-world disaster movie formula, infused with an intriguing assortment of additional genre elements, including ghost stories and conspiracy thrillers with a dash of science fiction. Director Proyas (back on the sci-fi chain gang, following Dark City and I, Robot) has taken what begins as a fairly straightforward sci-fi premise to heights of psychological and visceral bravado. However, Knowing is a classic case of a movie that's crammed with interesting ideas but is unable to explore them in an overly satisfying fashion. It undertakes too many genres, resulting in a unique mishmash which never quite gels satisfactorily. For its first two thirds, Knowing is a riveting M. Night Shyamalan-esque thriller capable of engaging a viewer on account of Proyas' masterful storytelling and the outstanding premise. The final third, however, gives into lazy genre clichés before imploding during the ultimately unsatisfying closing minutes. A lot transpires during the film's two-hour duration, and while not all of it may hold up under careful scrutiny, Knowing stands up as a solid escapist cinematic experience enhanced by its chilling symbolism, and filled with tension, thrills and marvellous visual effects.

In 1959, an elementary school in Massachusetts commemorates its official opening by burying a time capsule underground which will remain sealed until the school's 50th anniversary in 2009. Students are asked to submit a drawing for this time capsule; a drawing of their vision of the future. Troubled young Lucinda Embry (Robinson) scrawls down a series of mysterious numbers for her submission to the time capsule...
Half a century later, the time capsule is exhumed and the current students of the elementary school are each given a drawing to study. Young Caleb Koestler (Canterbury) receives Lucinda's seemingly random succession of numbers. This sheet of paper triggers the interest of his father, widowed astrophysicist John Koestler (Cage), who examines the numbers and realises a pattern of chilling historical relevance: it's a cryptogram that faultlessly lists all the world's worst disasters for five decades in consecutive order...and three future catastrophes are also listed.

Action movies are generally split into two categories - smart actioners, and dumb guilty pleasures. Overblown and ridiculous in every conceivable way, The Marine fails to meet the criteria for either category. This second movie offering of WWE Films (See No Evil, starring Kane, was the first) is so indescribably awful, inept and downright stupid it may actually cause brain damage. Far too mindless to be considered a smart actioner and not fun enough to be considered a guilty pleasure, The Marine is one of this decade's worst action movies. In interviews, WWE superstar John Cena has compared this cinematic abortion to 1985's Commando (featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger). Sure, both pictures are stunt spectacles in which everything blows up, but Commando is at least mildly respectable...The Marine, on the other hand, is poorly made, detrimentally unoriginal and appallingly acted, not to mention the sheer level of stupidity also prevents the film from fulfilling its primary objective of entertaining. It clearly strives to be a serious 80s-style action/adventure with humorous undertones, but instead the entire flick is unintentionally hilarious. This utter garbage could've been so bad that it's good. Instead, Cena's film debut is so bad it's just really, really bad.

In a standard action movie opening sequence, Sgt. John Triton (Cena) - a US Marine - disobeys a direct order and rescues some captured comrades. His superiors aren't fond of his gung-ho style, however, and he's honourably discharged before being shipped back to the US. It's a tough break for John who immediately accepts a job as a security guard. But more over-eagerness on John's part results in his sacking (on his first day of work). Following this second tough break, John decides to embark on a romantic getaway with wife Kate (Carlson).
Meanwhile, the ruthless Rome (Patrick) and his gang of thieves implement a diamond heist in the most conspicuous way possible - people are shot (including two police officers), a cop car is blown up (exploding in a 20-foot ball of flame), and the gang wield massive weapons on the street in broad daylight. Since tough-guy ex-marine John Triton needs someone to kill, the script throws these diamond thieves in his direction. John's wife ends up being taken as a hostage by these criminals (for absolutely no discernable reason). John wants his wife back, so he pursues these diamond thieves through a crocodile-free (but alligator-infested) South Carolinian swamp.

What ensues is a totally unbelievable action romp. Lots of bullets fly (the bad guys are unable to aim a gun properly, of course), everything in sight explodes, and the good guy kills the bad guy. Whoops, was the ending just spoiled for you? Or did you realise (through common knowledge) that the good guy was going to win?
The whole movie is laden with winks (Robert Patrick starred in Terminator 2 and John Triton is compared to the Terminator), tossed in a smorgasbord of a screenplay that gives one of Rome's henchmen a fear of rock candy and a moment where (in mid-threat) Rome answers a phone call to discuss his cable TV options. Couple that malarkey with the fact that Triton survives multiple big explosions (including three building explosions) and an impossibly lenient detective with sketchy motives. Everything in The Marine is pumped up to deafening proportions, from Cena's physique to sports cars for South Carolina state troopers. Continuity errors abound and impossibilities flourish throughout this tedious star vehicle.

The Marine is also infused with a sickening (almost insulting) level of American patriotism. Cena is introduced wearing Marine garb during the opening credits sequence, and he's standing in front of an American flag! Cena looks like a total moron, and these few seconds are enough to elicit derisive chortles. After this despicable sequence, Cena's John Triton proceeds to save US soldiers who have been captured in Afghanistan. Triton is a perfect marksman of course, and those he's battling appear to opt for hand-to-hand combat instead of just shooting the trouble-maker. Cue vomit-inducing, cheesy patriotic music. Oh yeah, and a Russian helicopter arrives to extract the soldiers from the battlefield. After this military propaganda video (that's also very disrespectful to the whole Iraq/Afghanistan situation), the movie gets right down to business...exploring John Cena's two facial expressions.

Modern action movies are normally overwhelmed by unconvincing CGI. Therefore, in theory, an actioner containing traditional stunt work and old-fashioned pyrotechnics should be refreshing and exciting. But it isn't - CGI is eschewed, but the approach is marred due to the fact that realism is thrown to the wind very early into the movie. During the film's main car chase, for example, roughly 300 bullets are fired into a sports car, none of which manage to hit John Triton who's behind the wheel. Tyres are visibly shot, but are perfectly re-inflated in subsequent shots. As the car chase ends, this car flies off a cliff and explodes...and John survives by leaping out of the flaming wreckage to safety. How do the thieves not notice John jumping out of the car when he's in plain sight?!

WWE director John Bonito tries very hard to pump up the excitement factor with this movie...but he fails. The Marine is more or less an extended trailer...90 minutes of fireballs, failed one-liners and fight sequences which are both poorly choreographed and incompetently shot. Dallas Puett's editing is frenetic, jumpy and downright terrible. Another of the production's biggest blunders is trying to pass off Australian locations as South Carolina. Big fail. There are also countless errors in military attire and hand-to-hand techniques, not to mention the politics behind John Triton's discharge is nonsense. Writing and filmmaking can't get much worse than this.

John Cena is a complete dud. In The Marine he's just an unstoppable, invincible action hero; more or less a cyborg impervious to injury. After he miraculously manages to survive a few explosions and hundreds of bullets, the film can no longer be taken seriously. The main problem with Cena's acting goes far beyond his easily spotted first film jitters. He's a mountainous man, but he looks more like a construction worker than a US Marine. Cena is also cursed with the vocal authority of pubescent 16-year-old. This guy has no business trying to pass himself off as a one-man army similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. At least Schwarzenegger was a hard-ass of the highest order, complete with an intimidating voice. Mired by a PG-13 rating that dampens the mood by placing all the violent money shots off camera, Cena comes across as a bland action figure who's ready to feature in any movie the WWE sends down the pipe for him, but who lacks a zesty charisma that could make him a genre icon. Beside him, Kelly Carlson is very forgettable as his kidnapped wife.
At least Robert Patrick brings a little bit of class and star power to the project. He's easy to watch as the goofy, sarcastic leader of a wacky crew of lunatic diamond thieves. Unfortunately, every other member of the cast is unbelievably awful, including a comical black man with a girly voice and a fear of rock candy.

It should come as no surprise that The Marine is a bad movie. If you had high expectations for this second WWE Films production, you're either a deluded wrestling fan or you just haven't been paying attention. If you've decided to give this dirge a shot, one should be completely aware of what they're walking into. Those who defend this awful movie state that the bad acting and weak plot can be overlooked because there's a lot of action to enjoy. I tried to enjoy the action...I really tried. But this dredge failed to entertain me.

1.1/10

See No Evil marks the first motion picture to be produced by WWE Films; the newest arm of Vince McMahon's entertainment empire. This dull, generic, exploitative horror movie also marks the big screen debut of Glenn Jacobs, better known to wrestling enthusiasts as Kane. As a matter of fact, this routine horror flick functions as a star vehicle for the renowned wrestler. Eager to sucker in the faithful by showcasing Kane's abilities as a tough horror villain, See No Evil is nothing more than a one-note genre offering that comes across as nothing more than a banal collection of gory money shots. Granted, the filmmakers deserve props for infusing this flick with gore galore. Unfortunately, though, the whole falls far beneath the sum of its parts.

The plot is customary horror tripe: idiot teenagers are systematically massacred by an unstoppable killing machine (whose past is full of abuse to justify his killing spree) until the shrewdest learn to fight back. With a runtime of approximately 80 minutes, character development is at a minimum. Characters are hardly introduced before the slaughtering begins, and it concludes with a very predictable climax.
To elaborate: eight juvenile delinquents are transported to a run-down old hotel which will soon be transformed into a shelter for the homeless. In return, the lawbreakers will have a month shaved off their prison sentence. As they commence work and carelessly wander around the decayed premises, a reclusive psychopath (Kane) begins stalking them...offing the criminals one by one.

This absurdly convenient plot which would trigger winces from even the most forgiving horror aficionados is merely a means to an end, and this end is a bucket-load of blood & guts. The script is extremely problematic, but this was definitely to be expected considering this is screenwriter Dan Madigan's first feature-length effort (he was previously a writer for WWE Smackdown!). It's obvious that the studio was desperately trying to cut costs given that the screenwriter wrote Smackdown episodes and the director's past efforts include Brittany Spears music videos and pornography. Horror used to mesmerise viewers through smartly-drawn characters, witty dialogue and a compelling story (see Scream, Psycho and Halloween). See No Evil contains dumb characters, silly dialogue and a derivative story.

Logic is completely discarded in Madigan's woeful script. For instance, two of the criminals decide to hunt for a "secret treasure". The safe containing this fortune is apparently so top secret that the map leading to it can be downloaded from the internet!
Consider the logistics of this ludicrous scenario: either felons are selected to work in this hotel, but they're supervised by only three people, only one of which is an armed officer. Uh huh. The whole concept is also impossible. The hotel was set on fire, yet criminals are brought in to clean it in order for the building to be transformed into a homeless shelter. Never mind that the walls and frames would have to be replaced by professionals, and contractors should have to be hired to fix the electricity as well as the plumbing. How does the electricity still work after the place has been abandoned for 35 years? Why aren't the inmates wearing prison garb? Why would the officers let the delinquents run around unsupervised while they drink shots at the bar?

See No Evil also suffers from a crippling lack of originality. Slasher movie stock characters pervade the film, and they act in ways recognisable to any horror buff. There are the token ethnics (one black, one Latino), a nerd, a self-righteous lesbian, and four other characters designed to have sex with each other and get high before having their eyeballs torn out by the killer. On top of this, those who are eventually killed are stupid beyond all comprehension. For added measure (and cliché) the correctional officer supervising the miscreants has a past with the murderer - several years prior, he lost not only his hand to the crazed killer, but also his partner, so there's bad blood between them. But wait, the list of clichés grows longer: two characters who depart from the main group in order to have sex are killed (naturally). Oh, and let's not forget that Kane's character is completely impervious to pain, not to mention his back-story is a breeding ground for ridiculous clichés. In addition, the psychopath killer has the ability to be everywhere at once, and characters appear to show up right on time (when it looks like game over for two characters, in comes another to attack Kane and save the day). One should anticipate a certain amount of clichés in a slasher movie, but the filmmakers don't even seem to be trying here. See No Evil is exasperatingly asinine, irritatingly conventional and utterly brainless!

Director Gregory Dark's résumé is filled with such memorable adult porn films as Hootermania and The Psychosexuals. Bearing this in mind, it may be no surprise that the narrative style of See No Evil is remarkably similar to that of a porno movie. A viewer must endure perfunctory dialogue scenes and wooden acting in between the customary genre sequences. Dark has also helmed music videos; therefore general over-stylisation as well as nauseating, jittery editing is certainly present. The movie is consequently a shambolic blur. Dark can only capture the mayhem with a deplorable assortment of first-year film student trick shots and clichéd flashy editing aplenty. All the flashy edits in the world, however, cannot make up for the bad acting, terrible dialogue, and a plot so predictable that anyone could foresee the outcome by the 10-minute mark.

Taking place almost completely in dingy hotel hallways, the filmmakers attempt to enliven the humdrum surroundings with preposterously conceived deaths (eyes are plucked out, one character gets a cell phone shoved down their throat, another is eaten by starving dogs, and someone else gets crushed by a safe) and dangerously disrespectful film tributes (the movies of Wes Craven were apparently an influence, which is in turn an official insult). Even the minor usage of CGI is a dud. As Kane falls from a high window to his predictable death, the computer effects look too cartoonish to be taken seriously.

To make matters worse, none of the actors can act, nor can they convey fear convincingly. When it comes to WWE wrestlers, some can act and others can't. Prior to See No Evil, only Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had tried his hand at acting with moderately pleasing results. But for the WWE to think that everyone else in their little galaxy will be just as successful is the mother of all delusions of grandeur. Glenn Jacobs, a.k.a. Kane, is not destined for an acting career. He has the acting skills of a fire extinguisher, and has the screen presence of a shaved ape. Granted, Kane only had to grunt, swing an axe, utter a grand total of three words and look confused, but this acting goal is not even achieved. The bald seven-foot wrestler looks more like a modern Tor Johnson, and is so inept he's more cuddly than terrifying. Instead of imposing, he comes across as a junior high school bully with an eye socket fetish.
The rest of the cast - comprised mostly of Australian actors, as the film was shot in Australia - is almost uniformly bland. It'd be redundant to list all the primary actors involved, as they're all quite forgettable. While viewing the movie, a spectator is merely asked to watch as characters die horrible deaths, which can be rewarding at times since there is no reason to care about them in the first place.

To its credit, See No Evil does provide a few delightfully gory death scenes and only occasionally does the film plod during its brisk 80-minute duration. Unfortunately, though, this doesn't count for much when the film as a whole is clearly a by-the-numbers moneymaking operation for the WWE. See No Evil is just another illogical, badly-acted exploitation slasher movie that we've all seen many times before.
The golden days of horror are clearly long behind us. Those were the days when a horror film kept you on the edge of your seat through fear of the unknown. Not only does this awful horror flick leave nothing to your imagination, but it would also seem the director forgot to use his at all. Gregory Dark has set the bar as WWE's first feature film director... It's so unbelievably low that even Uwe Boll would have a hard time limbo-ing under it.

More or less another tired take on the old Odd Couple formula, Uptown Girls is an uneven, clichéd, saccharine-coated blend of comedy and drama. Ostensibly aimed at a teenage female audience, Uptown Girls is a sterling example of Hollywood craftsmanship gone wrong. Both critics and audiences have perceived this fluffy filmic creation to be among 2003's worst movies, and, frankly, you'll be hard-pressed to feel to the contrary. A host of continuity problems, lack of proper direction, sloppy screenwriting and stereotypical characters aside, the picture is simply tedious. Saturated in corny cuteness by the committee of screenwriters (Julia Dahl, Mo Ogrodnik and Lisa Davidowitz) and glossily directed by Boaz Yakin, it's a cotton-candy confection that's far too superficial and mannered. Can't say you weren't warned, though, as the picture is named after a Billy Joel song...a song which is never even featured on the film's soundtrack!

As for the plot: Molly Gunn (Murphy), the free-spirited daughter of a deceased rock star legend, has lived a carefree, frivolous life without responsibility. Using the multi-million dollar inheritance left to her by her parents, Molly has never been required to hold down a job, and has successfully delayed the onset of adulthood. When her late father's financial advisor flees with the remainder of Molly's fortune, she's left bankrupt, heavy in debt and evicted. With no alternatives, the rock star princess sets out to find a job. Molly is hired to serve as a babysitter for precocious, obnoxious spoiled brat Ray (Fanning). Predictably, Molly and Ray's interaction is life-changing for both souls. Honestly, who didn't see that coming? More importantly, who cares?

Unevenly pitched between scatterbrained humour and transparent tugs on the heartstrings, Uptown Girls is fundamentally a silly fairytale set in a real-world setting. While the performances are fairly appealing and the filmmaking is adequate, the screenplay is woeful. The central criticism of this abysmal screenplay is simple: it seems to faithfully adhere to the formula of 2002's About a Boy, to the extent that About a Girl is probably a more appropriate title, and this movie was in all likelihood green-lit to capitalise on the success of the aforementioned British gem. Both movies feature immature adults and intelligent but maladjusted children who all come of age through their interactions with each other. They both even have the same climax; a child performing in front of a crowd, which apparently solves everything.

Duplicity - this incredibly witty, intelligent comical crime caper concerning two professional spies with pronounced mutual trust issues - is the second directorial outing of acclaimed screenwriter Tony Gilroy (the man who also scripted the Jason Bourne films). Merging the cold corporate intrigue of Michael Clayton (the writer's Oscar-nominated debut as a director) with the suave, globetrotting antics of the Ocean's trilogy, this effervescent, meticulously plotted heist thriller is dazzling entertainment for a mature audience. The title of Duplicity (meaning deceitfulness) is extremely appropriate for such a twisty motion picture. Rest assured that with Gilroy serving as both writer and director, plot twists are frequent and (similar to Michael Clayton) concessions are rare for those who refuse to pay close attention. Luckily, Gilroy's film is an ultra-slick cinematic creation bursting with intrigue and visual elegance, not to mention it also features an outstanding cast...we're hooked from the very beginning.

The grim depredations of the corporate world may lie at the centre of Gilroy's film once again, but he manages to have loads of fun with them this time. Gilroy establishes the comical tone brilliantly with a slap-happy opening credits sequence featuring two titans of industry (Wilkinson and Giamatti) battling one another (in exaggerated slow motion) on an airport tarmac before their respective private jets as their aghast entourages observe the situation.

The less you know about the plot, the more enjoyable your viewing experience. In a nutshell: the story follows two lovers - CIA agent Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval - who become caught up in a feud between two multinational pharmaceutical companies which threatens to tip over into outright war. With one cosmetics company on the verge of announcing a lucrative, earth-shattering new product that will give them an edge in this battle, Claire and Ray spot an opportunity to strike it rich. They quit their jobs and plan to infiltrate the two organisations with the intention of obtaining the special formula for this new product.
Naturally, not everything goes to plan (it would be less interesting if everything ran perfectly), which amplifies the suspense tenfold in the lead-up to the climax. Viewers will be constantly kept on edge of their seats as the central relationship wavers, and alliances change (as do plans). Who is playing who?

Hollywood's confidence in D-Tox (also known as Detox and Eye See You) was clearly lower than Ed Wood's Oscar possibilities. Filmed and completed in 1999, Universal abruptly decided to cancel the distribution a few months before the intended release and shelve the project. Three years passed, and Universal began to tire of the film - ultimately choosing to sell it and disown it (Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer even removed his name from the credits, and Universal removed their logo from the finished product as well). The 2002 international theatrical run for D-Tox was shorter than the average life-span of a housefly. In the US it bypassed theatres and instead debuted on DVD. Typically, endless delays are an indication of an extremely poor movie. But thankfully, this isn't the case...as a matter of fact, D-Tox is a surprisingly watchable and serviceable Sylvester Stallone vehicle. Directed by Jim Gillespie, this hybrid of Se7en, The Thing and (Gillespie's own) I Know What You Did Last Summer rises above the usual standard for fluffy slasher flicks, and features Stallone in an astonishingly decent performance. It's frankly bewildering that this decent slasher affair struggled for a release while other dirge is constantly rushed into cinemas.

The story tracks FBI agent Jake Malloy (Stallone), who - upon the film's commencement - is on the trail of a sadistic serial killer exclusively targeting police officers. This murderer instigates an intense cat-and-mouse game with Malloy, eventually upping the stakes by making things personal. Grief sends Malloy off the deep end when he witnesses a personally-affecting crime scene, and his life spirals downwards into a profound depression where solace can only be found in the bottom of a bottle. To recover from these intense psychological effects, one of Malloy's colleagues (Dutton) sends Malloy to a remote detox clinic (hence the title) located in snow-covered Wyoming that specialises in rehabilitating cops. Unfortunately for the group of patients (and the crew of the facility, for that matter), Malloy barely has time to unpack his bags before the patients begin dying under suspicious circumstances. Things soon become perfectly clear to Malloy: the murderer whose actions have haunted him for months has somehow found his way into the facility, and one of the patients may not be who they claim to be. Completely isolated by an extreme blizzard, the group have no-where to run. As their numbers begin to dwindle even further, it becomes clear that in order to survive they must go on the offensive and flush out the traitor lurking amongst them...

At the pinnacle of his screenwriting career, Shane Black was the highest paid scribe in Hollywood, with films like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout to his name. His scripts spawned enjoyable, commercially successful films for the most part, but Black has long stated that directors alter his original ideas, causing a great deal of frustration on his part. Black vanished for the better part of a decade, but stages his triumphant comeback with 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Inspired by James Bond, Pauline Kael, Raymond Chandler novels, and everything in between, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang could be Black's greatest creation to date, even exploiting his time-honoured love of Christmas that has provided a backdrop for all of his thrillers. In order to avoid frustration in the translation from page to screen, Black directed the film himself, and the product shows no evidence that Black is a first-time filmmaker.

In the midst of L.A.'s holiday rush, small-time thief Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) inadvertently stumbles into an audition while trying to evade the police following an unsuccessful robbery. Harry's performance amazes the casting agents, and he's subsequently thrust into the spotlight as he's flown to Hollywood for a screen test. Propelled into the cut-throat world of L.A.'s pros, cons, losers and wannabes, Harry is partnered with tough private eye "Gay" Perry (Kilmer) who'll prepare him for his screen test. For experience, Perry allows Harry to help with his latest assignment. Harry is also reunited with his childhood crush - Harmony Faith Lane (Monaghan) - who has become an actress. However, when the mysterious suicide of Harmony's sister intersects with the seemingly unrelated case Harry and Perry are investigating, the duo find themselves embroiled in a real murder mystery.

Got that? Good. Now don't worry about it.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an unabashed exercise in style and wit, with its plot serving as a rack on which to hang wildly entertaining vignettes. It works marvellously, as Black's script is populated with terrific characters dispersing witty dialogue. The sharp exchanges and one-liners are never-ending, with pop-culture pisstakes (a head-to-toe soaked Downey at one stage proclaims himself to be "wetter than Drew Barrymore at a grunge club") and sneering subversions of hard-boiled posturing (Perry uses the word 'pluperfect' at a rather odd time), not to mention sly satire of the film industry. Without a doubt, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the most quotable films in history, and it remains hilarious upon repeat viewings. The story is convoluted and you'll be hard-pressed to nail it, but this is a massive positive - critics often complain that stories are too straightforward and by-the-numbers, hence Black subverted this stereotypical pitfall. Furthermore, there's more to latch onto and absorb with each new viewing.

Black's script is (in part) based on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday. In adapting Halliday's novel, the writer-director added his own satiric slant on the story and inserted elements of Raymond Chandler novels to ultimately produce something unique. Constant references the old masters of film noir are scattered throughout the flick - chapter headings are sourced from Chandler novel titles, for instance. Visually, the film is a hodgepodge of quick edits, pans, zooms, fades, dissolves and crosscuts, combined with flashy colour alterations. However, none of these (usually irritating) gimmicks are damaging at all due to Black's limitless elegance as a director. Moreover, his exaggerated cinematic style is fitting for this incisive Hollywood satire. Poking fun at everything from storytelling clichés to the way filmmakers manipulate their "assets", Black has created a top-notch picture that is simultaneously an engaging noir-style mystery and a hilarious observation of the film industry.

Black treats his audience as peers, and never takes them as fools. The man clearly understands that very film-savvy audiences exist, and they're every bit as cynical about Hollywood conventions as he is. At one stage, through the voice of Harry the narrator, he remarks "Don't worry, I saw the last Lord of the Rings. I'm not going to have the movie end like 17 times". Throughout the course of the film, Harry also chastises himself for leaving out important details, or for making seemingly pointless observations. Sometimes, scripts like these are too consciously clever for their own good, but Black's work is well-judged. Naturally, witty dialogue wasn't enough for the writer-director, as Black felt the urge to include a number of action sequences for good measure. Fortunately, such scenes are dazzling, intense and splendidly choreographed. It's all the more amazing that the film was produced for a slight $15 million.

At the centre of the film is a top-notch cast. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer is killer - they're the most downright entertaining screen pair since Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. Downey is in top form here, showing a real sense of comic timing. He's an endearing narrator, too, introducing himself by saying "My name's Harry Lockhart, I'll be your narrator", which establishes the film's non-serious tone. Meanwhile, as the ambiguously homosexual cynic, Kilmer steals every frame, delivering some of the best one-liners in recent memory with graceful confidence. The beautiful Michelle Monaghan also appears as Harry's former flame. Monaghan has the perfect look for the part, and the actress oozes sexiness when she wears tight dresses, including a Santa's Helper outfit. Not to mention, she has great chemistry with Downey. Outside of the three protagonists, there's an amusing Larry Miller as the producer who plans to screen test Harry, and Rockmond Dunbar and Dash Mihok appear as a duo involved in the whole murder mystery. You know that actors have done their jobs correctly if you crave more time with their characters once the credits begin to roll.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is not only one of the best films of 2005, but it's also one the most overlooked. The Phoenix Film Critics Society even voted it "Overlooked Film of the Year". Okay, so no-one knows who the hell the Phoenix Film Critics Society is, but they have a point. One should also bear in mind that the film received a standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a delightful return for Shane Black, showing us that he was gone for far too long and that he deserves to continue in this business for a long time to come.

9.2/10

Remember life as a little kid, when you feared the monsters living in your closet or under your bed? Remember your parents assuring you that monsters don't exist? Monsters, Inc. verifies what every child really knows - the things that go bump in the night are more genuine than adults truly realise. Brought to the big screen by Disney & Pixar, Monsters, Inc. - the fourth offspring of this marriage (following Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2) - is a triumph of animated cinema. Co-directed by Pete Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich (with Pixar guru John Lasseter serving as executive producer), this lively and endearing slice of animation is everything we come to expect from a product of the Disney/Pixar axis - it has an enchanting, imaginative premise as well as sumptuous computer animation, brilliant gags for every age, and a mouth-watering voice cast. Yet, this motion picture is a fresh and unique beast. Instead of taking place in the real world, Monsters, Inc. introduces an entirely new universe in which the marvellously-rendered CGI characters can live and flourish.

Behold Monstropolis - a thriving city populated by monsters of all shapes and sizes. Instead of coal or nuclear power, Monstropolis' power supply is derived from the screams of children. This means the scariest (and bravest) denizens of the city are employed by Monsters, Inc. (the largest scream processing factory in Monstropolis) to venture through closet doorways and elicit screams by scaring children all over the globe (these screams are then converted into electricity). However - as children are becoming more sophisticated and consequently more difficult to frighten - severe power problems are affecting the city, with "rolling blackouts" predicted throughout this serious scream shortage. The responsibility of harnessing sufficient electricity falls on the broad shoulders of the leading scream producer - a big blue monster known as Sulley (Goodman), ably assisted by his wisecracking pal Mike (Crystal). It's business as usual for Sulley & Mike until a young, curious human child (Gibbs) boldly goes where no human has gone before...into a closet, and onward into the monster universe. In this world, however, it's the monsters who are afraid of the children (believing them to be toxic and deadly). Pandemonium ensues as Sulley & Mike work to return the child home, in the process uncovering a sinister plot to rid Monstropolis of its power issues...